NEBRASKA INVENTION INDEX – MARCH 2025

The Invention Index measures a country’s or state’s innovation output by comparing GDP growth with patent production growth. 

Nebraska Invention Index March 2025: 0.90% (D grade)

Nebraska Invention Index over the last year:

Anything over C grade is positive sentiment; anything under C is negative outlook/sentiment. Using that sentiment, it is possible to observe trends over time, and also compare states/countries. In doing so we can predict which states have the best chance to recover economically from the pandemic (or any other economic incident that may occur).

Discussion:

In March, the Nebraska Invention Index scored a negative sentiment which was lower than the previous year’s average and underperformed the downward trend for the year. This is in contrast to the prior 12 months, which experienced an upward trend. As the world continues to recover from the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is unclear if there is any backlog of applications awaiting approval or if the department has fully caught up. If approvals are not yet caught up, we may see a decrease in approvals – and a reduced Invention Index – in the coming months/years as the state feels the full economic impact of companies closing and/or being forced to minimize their staffing and therefore minimize their R&D work hours.

Analysis:

From September 2024 to March 2025, Nebraska’s Invention Index showed a downward trend, peaking at 1.23% in December 2024. The score then dropped significantly in February 2025 to 0.82%, its lowest point. March saw a slight recovery to 0.90%, but it remained below previous months.

The most notable shift was between December and February, where the score fell sharply from an A- to an F grade. Despite the small rebound in March, the overall trend suggests a weakening in innovation activity.

This decrease, particularly in early 2025, may reflect broader challenges in Nebraska’s innovation landscape. The slight uptick in March could indicate stabilization, but it is too early to confirm if this is a temporary bounce or part of a larger trend.

Understanding whether March’s score signals a trend reversal will require monitoring future data closely.

Learn more about the Invention Index here.

Are you thinking of patenting any of your bright ideas? Did you know your research work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is one of the U.S.’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firms. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program, from claim preparation and audit compliance to claim disputes.

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